How to achieve regional transport integration in "the belt and road"? : implications from the trans-European transport network in Europe

Abstract

Based on Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), “the Belt and Road”(B&R) would develop from transport integration into a loose, highly effective economic community. This kind of spillover from transport integration to economic integration is no doubt an innovation, which is a breakthrough not from the traditional mode of trade promoting integration, but through infrastructure of transport, to bring about communication in the economy and the building of free trade zones. B&R, which has already finished the initial planning and layout and has begun to move into the developing stage, would definitely put new energy into the world economy through improving the connectivity of Eurasia and creating a new economic development mode. Connectivity is the skeleton of B&R. The adjustment of the world economy and supply chain system not only requires enhanced regional economic cooperation but also alters the layout of the world transportation network and logistic service system, which would definitely promote the formation and development of new transport hubs and transport corridors. That is to say, how to achieve regional transport integration so as to drive the regional integration in Eurasia is one of the key points of B&R. Starting from that point, this dissertation attempts to find solutions and experiences from European transport integration such as (Trans-European Transport Network) TEN-T, which has been relatively matured and developed around the world. By comparing TEN-T and B&R, we can obtain a series of useful experiences for the transport integration of B&R from the implications of TEN-T. The European transport integration provides good experiences and materials for the realization of regional transport integration. Effective tools used by the European Union (EU), the experience of successes and failures, and the solution of the problem impart a good reference to other regions. Particularly, in view of currently proposed strategy for how to realize regional transport integration under the framework of B&R, TEN-T has a significant practical meaning. This dissertation divides the regional transport integration into the following parts： 1) Unified policies for instructing 2) Integration in infrastructure planning 3) Interoperability 4) Common Transport Market 5) Unified technical system

Apart from the above, the transport integration is, in fact, part of regional political and economic integration in the frame of B&R. Thus, we also need to consider the political and economic aspect. For B&R, it is important to expand the connectivity from the node-to-node (country-to-country) level into the node-to-area (country-to-region)level to form a network. That is to say, we need to consider which countries ought to go first to cooperate in the B&R framework in order to push other countries to go into B&R so as to promote the node-to-area connectivity. Thus, we should consider the cooperation potential and cooperation sequence. In the political and economic aspects, through modified gravity model, this dissertation has classified the countries along B&R into three regional groups—the core region, expanding region and radiating region—according to the cooperation potential of each country. In the policy aspect, this dissertation has reorganized the history of the Common Transport Policy to make recommendations for B&R. In the financing aspect, this study analysed the financing modes of TEN-T and gave some suggestions for B&R. In the aspects of interoperability, common transport market and unified technical system, this dissertation summed up the experiences of the EU and made implications about B&R.